September 20, 2014

1976: Raiders Hold Off Rally by Chiefs for Monday Night Win

Two fierce rivals, the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City
Chiefs, were featured in a Monday night NFL game on September 20, 1976. The
visiting Raiders had won their opener over Pittsburgh the previous week while
Kansas City lost to the Chargers, but beyond that, the two clubs were in very
different places as they met for the 35th time.

Oakland, coached by John Madden for the eighth season and
coming off an 11-3 record in ‘75, had topped the AFC West in five of the
previous six seasons. QB Ken “The Snake” Stabler (pictured above) was an able, if immobile, passer
and had fine wide receivers available in Cliff Branch and the aging Fred
Biletnikoff, plus up-and-coming TE Dave Casper. There was also a good, if
unspectacular, group of running backs operating behind an excellent line. The
defense was tough and aggressive.

The Chiefs had not done so well in recent years. They
finished at 5-9 in each of the previous two seasons, including their first
under Head Coach Paul Wiggin, successor to the esteemed Hank Stram, in ’75. QB
Len Dawson had finally retired after an outstanding career and longtime backup
Mike Livingston was taking over the reins, but there were still too many aging
players on the roster.

It was a clear Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium with 60,884
fans in attendance. The teams traded punts before the Raiders drove 67 yards in
12 plays. Ken Stabler completed six passes, including two that converted third
downs and the last for a 15-yard touchdown to Dave Casper. Fred Steinfort added
the extra point.

Following another short possession leading to a punt by the
Chiefs, Oakland put together another 12-play scoring drive that extended into
the second quarter, advancing 72 yards. FB Mark van Eeghen (pictured below) and HB Pete Banaszak
ran effectively and Stabler connected twice on passes to Cliff Branch, the
first for 13 yards to convert a third down and the second for a 10-yard TD.
Steinfort again converted and the Raiders were ahead by 14-0 and clearly the
dominant team.

The teams exchanged punts until the Raiders got the ball
back at their 14 with three minutes to play in the half. HB Clarence Davis ran
for the necessary 14 yards in a third-and-14 situation and Banaszak followed up
with a 15-yard carry. Completions to Branch, Casper, and Fred Biletnikoff
advanced the ball to the Kansas City 20 and, with the clock down to 27 seconds
Steinfort kicked a 37-yard field goal to stake Oakland to a 17-0 halftime lead.
Kansas City had managed just 37 yards of offense thus far.

The Chiefs had the first possession of the third quarter
and, with Mike Livingston completing passes to TE Walter White for 25 yards and
WR Henry Marshall for 21, reached the Oakland 23. However, they came up empty
when Jan Stenerud was wide on a 41-yard field goal attempt.

CB Tim Collier intercepted a Stabler pass on the next
series, but the Chiefs fumbled the ball right back. Oakland went three-and-out
and had to punt, and Kansas City put together another good drive of 54 yards in
nine plays, and this time didn’t fail to put points on the board. HB Woody
Green ran the ball four times for 35 yards and FB MacArthur Lane carried for
the last yard and a touchdown. Stenerud added the extra point and it was a 17-7
game after three quarters.

The Raiders responded by driving 72 yards in eight plays.
A 16-yard Stabler completion to Biletnikoff had an unnecessary roughness penalty
on FS Gary Barbaro tacked onto it to advance Oakland to the KC 14, and from
there Stabler connected with WR Mike Siani for a TD. Steinfort’s PAT again made
it a 17-point margin favoring the visitors, although “The Snake” was injured
from a hit by DE Wilbur Young on the scoring play.

The Chiefs had to punt following their next series and
the Raiders, now with Mike Rae at quarterback for Stabler, punted the ball back
in turn. With 3:41 left on the clock, Kansas City took over and drove 87 yards
in 12 plays. Livingston completed three passes but it was the running of Green
and Lane that fueled KC’s advance. Livingston ran the ball himself for a
one-yard touchdown and, with Stenerud again adding the extra point, Oakland’s
lead was narrowed to 24-14.

That still appeared formidable as the Raiders took possession,
but Banaszak ran the ball three straight times, fumbled on the last carry after
gaining first down yardage, and LB Billy Andrews recovered for the Chiefs at
the Oakland 25. On the next play, Livingston threw to TE Billy Masters in the middle
of the end zone for a TD, Stenerud converted, and the home team was only behind
by a touchdown.

That was as far as Kansas City’s surge would carry,
however. The ensuing try for an onside kick failed and, with the Chiefs out of
timeouts, the Raiders were able to run out the clock as van Eeghen carried four
times for 27 yards and two first downs. Oakland held on to win by a final score
of 24-21.

The Raiders dominated in total yards (446 to 280), with
211 of that total coming on the ground, and also had the edge in first downs
(25 to 18). Oakland also recorded the only three sacks of the game, but also
turned the ball over twice (to one by KC) and was penalized 11 times at a cost
of 104 yards, to 8 flags thrown on the Chiefs.

Ken Stabler was highly efficient as he completed 22 of 28
passes, including 11 of his first 12, for 224 yards and three touchdowns while
giving up one interception, until a strained right knee forced him from the
contest. Mark van Eeghen ran for 84 yards on 19 carries, Pete Banaszak
contributed 61 yards on 11 attempts, and Clarence Davis gained 59 yards on his
12 runs. Cliff Branch had 5 catches for 62 yards and a TD and Dave Casper was
right behind at 5 receptions and 57 yards with a score.

For the Chiefs, Mike Livingston was successful on 12 of
21 throws for 190 yards and a TD with none intercepted. Woody Green ran for 75
yards on 14 attempts and caught three passes for 28 more yards while MacArthur
Lane (pictured below) gained 34 yards on 9 carries that included a touchdown and had a
team-leading four pass receptions for 69 yards.

“I can’t account for the first half,” said Kansas City’s
Coach Wiggin. “I wish I could. It was just a solid indication we were playing a
superior football team.”

The Raiders lost only once all season, again topping the
AFC West at 13-1 and advancing to a win over the Vikings in the Super Bowl.
Kansas City compiled a third straight 5-9 record to place fourth in the
division.

Ken Stabler missed the following week due to his injury
but came back to lead the NFL in passing (103.4 rating) in addition to
completion percentage (66.7), yards per attempt (9.4), and TD passes (27). He
was chosen to the Pro Bowl and received the Bert Bell award as NFL Player of
the Year. Cliff Branch (46 catches, 1111 yards, 24.2 avg., 12 TDs) and Dave
Casper (53 catches, 691 yards, 10 TDs) were both consensus first-team All-NFL
as well as Pro Bowl selections. Mark van Eeghen ran for 1012 yards on 233
carries (4.3 avg.), his first of three straight thousand yard ground-gaining
seasons.

Woody Green’s career ended four weeks later due to a knee
injury that required surgery while 34-year-old MacArthur Lane led the Chiefs in
rushing with 542 yards and topped the NFL with 66 catches, for 686 yards.

2 comments:

That Raider team seemed to have some close shaves that year. They should have lost to the Steelers in Week 1, and they barely got by the Oilers a few weeks later. They also came close to losing in Chicago. It seems like the luck turned their way that year after so many heart breaking endings.

It's telling that the Chiefs haven't had a really decent passer in the 40-odd years since Len Dawson retired. They've had to make do with a mix of draft and trade busts, journeymen, and retreads, including Joe Montana in his fading years (though he still had a little left in him for the Chiefs). If at anytime they had gotten hold of a bonafide franchise quarterback and kept him around for a while (like an Elway, a Manning, a Marino, a Brees, a Roethlisberger, etc) they probably would have a few Lombardi trophies by now.